


About Manila

by elsewherewolf



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Chuck plays cupid, M/M, au chuck survives, don't we all?, he just wants Herc to be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-20
Updated: 2013-10-20
Packaged: 2017-12-29 22:38:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1010953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsewherewolf/pseuds/elsewherewolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>prompt from tumblr: Chuck getting Herc and Raleigh together... this is the result.</p>
            </blockquote>





	About Manila

**CHUCK:**

 

They'd had an agreement never to mention particular things, and Chuck can't remember why they made it in the first place except that he'd been a certain age and sex was on his mind only slightly less infrequently than killing Kaiju. He'd stuck to it long enough, but there were images he'd caught in the drift right after Raleigh came to Hong Kong and he's ignored them for too long. He knows that his dad's happy enough - most of them got out safely after nuking the breach, after all - but he could be happier. There's a whole damn world being rebuilt from scratch, and it shouldn't be limited to new buildings, should it?

Right now he's watching his dad, who's watching the screen; Raleigh and Mako on some ridiculous talk show together, dodging questions about how close they are to one another. Not so much watching the screen as watching Raleigh, Chuck thinks.

_Why don't you just talk to him?_

But he knows that Herc wouldn't dream of it, and Raleigh's got too much respect to make any kind of move either. Which means they have one option left, doesn't it?

+

Raleigh almost spits out his food when Chuck casually brings Manila up in conversation. He catches Mako's sidelong glance at her partner, and knows he's onto something. She must know about it, she must have seen something in the drift, same as he did.

"Why are you asking about that now?" Raleigh wipes his mouth, and Chuck grins because _yes,_ that's definitely a blush.

"Just curious. Whether dad had as big a stick up his ass then as he does now."

He smirks when Mako hides her mouth behind her hand, because he knows what she's thinking. _Wasn't it the other way around?_

"Your father's one of the good guys, Chuck. He's not- It doesn't matter."

"I know that. One of those things a near death experience teaches us."

"He has a lot going on right now," Raleigh says, like he's trying to make a point.

Chuck nods, getting up. "I think he has time for one more thing."

+

"Hey, dad?"

Herc taps at the screen in front of him, and Chuck fights the urge to just reach over and pull the plug. "Yeah?"

"You got plans this weekend?"

"Nope."

"Want some?" _Christ you're hard work._

"What?"

"Raleigh," Chuck says, then figures he ought to elaborate. "Mako said he's been thinking about Manila, too." Subtlety was never exactly Chuck's strong point. Why beat around the bush when you could just say it, get it out there, and see what happens?

Herc takes his hand away from the screen and sits back, taking a moment before he looks up to meet Chuck's gaze. "You caught that, I take it."

"It was hard not to. Didn't know what to think, but we promised we wouldn't talk about stuff like that, so... Dad, I don't care if that's what you're into, if _he's_ what you like. Okay? I just don't get why you're sitting back and doing nothing about it now, when we've all got a second chance at life."

"Nice speech, rehearse it much?"

"For fuck's sake, dad. Go ask him out before someone else does."

Herc folds his arms across his chest, looking Chuck up and down. "Like who, you?"

"Don't be stupid. Ask him."

"He won't want me now. We were- Manila was different."

Chuck closes his eyes, exasperated. "You're not even listening to me, are you? He'll say yes to anything you ask. You need a break from... whatever it is you even do now, and he's it."

"Just let it go, Chuck. Please."

 

**RALEIGH:**

 

It's been a few weeks since Chuck brought up Manila, but Raleigh still can't stop thinking about it. It wasn't much of anything at the time, just a fling that lasted a night and hadn't given him any pause for thought since, not until he arrived in Hong Kong and Herc said _I know you, mate_ in that _accent_ of his. Since then, or at least since the breach was closed, he's thought of little else. He remembers drinking shots out of Herc's mouth, remembers those hands bracing his ass, hard, and he's been glad of the heavy walls that he can hide behind and remember everything in private.

He can't get Chuck's parting comment from that day out of his head, either. How would Chuck even _know_ unless Herc had brought it up, either in conversation or in the drift? Which means he's been thinking about it as well, except that he's made no move or mention of it and surely he would have done by now, if he'd wanted-

"We're here." Mako nudges him, and he looks up, grimacing. 

" _This_ is where you wanted to bring me?"

"When did you last dance, Raleigh? I've never been drunk, and I want to be, and I refuse to drink alone."

"Fine, but I'm taking no responsibility for how you feel tomorrow."

Mako smiles, and starts climbing the steps ahead of him. The club's crowded inside, but Mako seems to know exactly where she wants to be, so Raleigh follows her across the dancefloor and up another set of steps to one of the more private tables. It isn't until she waves that he realises this whole thing was likely a set-up from the beginning.

"Mako, what's going on?"

"Chuck invited us, didn't I tell you?"

"No, you didn't. Are you in this together?"

"In what?" She looks back at him, all innocence, and then it's too late to grill her any more because Chuck's right there, on his feet and grabbing Mako's hand, insisting that she go to the bar with him. Raleigh's pretty sure that the VIP area has waiters, but there's nothing he can say as they hurry off together, leaving him alone with Herc.

"I'm going to kill him, later," Herc mutters. "Raleigh, this is a surprise."

"A pleasant one?" _Where did that come from?_

"Sure. Sorry. Sit down."

"Mako dragged me here. It wasn't my idea to come."

Herc looks at him, watches him sit, and frowns. "So, you'd rather be somewhere else?"

 _Hell, no._ He feels self-conscious, like it's written all over him, and with the way he can't help checking Herc out, it might as well be. "I don't know. Manila, maybe. Three-oh-eight."

Herc leans back in his seat, into shadow, and pats the space beside him. "Their best suite," he recalls, and Raleigh doesn't need to see him to know Herc's eyes are following his every move as he gets up again to sit that much closer.

"I didn't notice." _Too busy being screwed into oblivion._

"Figured we were just battle-high," Herc admits, tilting his head to regard Raleigh. "Maybe Chuck's onto something." It's confided like a secret, and Raleigh smiles to hear it, to know he isn't the only one. 

"If he'd told you I'd be here, would you have come?"

"I'm more broken now than I was then; we both are. I'm not sure this is a good idea, can't promise it'll live up to Manila."

"Worth trying though?"

Herc's hand curves over Raleigh's knee, strokes a little higher. "Worth trying," he agrees.

 

**HERC:**

 

Raleigh's sprawled across his lap, naked and beautiful, scars fine shadows where the rest of his skin is shiny and bright with sweat. They'd kissed and talked and danced and found time for a couple of drinks before coming back here, because Herc knew he wasn't going to bring Raleigh to his bed unless it was right. 

"What?" Raleigh asks, smiling lazily up at him.

"Funny. You're screwing the boss, you realise that?"

"I knew this job had its perks. Herc, I don't... Hmm."

"Don't what?" Herc curves his fingers over Raleigh's hip, fits them against the small dark points where bruises are forming already. He hadn't realised he'd held so tight, but he supposes he must have. Didn't want to let go, not again.

"I don't want just sex from you. It's not- I don't mean 'just' sex." Raleigh shifts in his lap, sits up to lean back against him instead. 

"I know what you mean," Herc interrupts, before Raleigh can say anything else. "Me too."

"By the way," Raleigh says, turning his head to plant a kiss on Herc's shoulder. "That? Definitely lived up to Manila. Exceeded Manila." He grins, and Herc bends to catch it with his mouth, teeth in Raleigh's lip. He's up for round three, and from the way Raleigh turns his whole body and settles over Herc's lap, he's not the only one.

 _Damn, you're perfect, look at you._ He traces the circuitry scars on Raleigh's arm, watches blue eyes stutter closed and loses another piece of himself to this kid. He still can't believe that it was Chuck who did this, and for him. Was he really that miserable?

"I hear you thinking again," Raleigh murmurs, covering Herc's hand with his own. 

"Only that I get to wake up tomorrow to this."

"And the day after, if you want."

Herc smiles, bends to kiss Raleigh's chest, taste the salt of his sweat. "And the day after that."


End file.
